Globalization Case

"The speed of light does not merely transform the world. It becomes the world.

Globalization is the speed of light."

-- Paul Virilio, French Cultural Theorist

Globalization, led by an exponential growth in information technology, represents the most powerful force driving the future course of this planet. Unlike any other time in history, where the wealth of nations was defined by its industrial capacity, the ability to compete and succeed on a global platform - one with limited borders - will be concentrated in societies that possess the aptitude to acquire and productively apply mass quantities of information (aka knowledge). Globalization, in this regard, transcends all core elements that define the genetic DNA of a society, including Morality, Politics, Economics, and its ability to survive - Security. This social construct is represented by the following graphic - the "UST Great Books Tripartite" (see Figure 1). This essays purpose is to briefly discuss the impacts that globalization has had on the core elements that define a society.

Economics

Perhaps the most recognizable influence of globalization can be seen in the exploding increase in worldwide trade and exchange in an increasingly open, integrated, and borderless international economy. This remarkable growth is broadly seen, not only in the traditional exchange of products and services, but also in the macro application of global monetary policies, foreign currency exchange, and the proliferation of foreign capital investments both domestically and abroad.

Another characteristic of globalization can be seen in large-scale institutional change, where organizations have a wider reach, due primarily to technological changes and leadership's ability to manage work internationally - empowered by lower transportation costs, electronic mail, the Internet, and video conferencing capabilities. Corporations that were once focused on domestic geographies have extended their international reach in terms of their source for raw materials, labor pools, production and service facilities, and consumer end-markets. I live this reality every day. Ameriprise Financial, Inc. a financial services company based in Minneapolis, MN expanded its call center support functions to the Philippines in 2000. More recently, it built a finance operations center in New Delhi, India. In my role as a Lead Financial Officer (LFO) for enterprise-wide staff groups, my primary support team is located in New Delhi. Virtually all Fortune 1000 companies (domestic or international) have deployed a similar structure or rely on a subsidiary or other tactical coalition in order to benefit from the decrease in labor costs that an offshore operating model yields.

Politics

Globalization also affects politics in many philosophical ways. As the borders between countries are broken-down, the role of politics gets more complex. A politician's job was much simpler when he/she was only concerned with issues confined to relatively isolated constituencies. Today, however, all communities are linked to some degree as a result of globalization. Problems that take root in one country may have dire consequences to other parts of the world. Recent history provides several examples, including pollution (i.e. climate change, or other environmental impacts), disease (i.e. The Spanish Flu, or HIV), economics (i.e. 2008's Great Recession) and terrorism (i.e. 9/11 WTC, or 26/11 Mumbai). Collectively, these issues and/or events have transformed the politics of nations and those of the world.

Morality - Values & Culture

Peter Drucker (1994) describes a new class of workers called "knowledge workers" and suggests that this group has and will continue to replace industrial workers as the next dominate social group. New jobs that offer greater opportunities will emerge. However, "the great majority of the new jobs require qualifications the industrial worker does not possess and is poorly equipped to acquire. They require a good deal of formal education and the ability to acquire and to apply theoretical and analytical knowledge. They require a different approach to work and a different mind-set. Above all, they require a habit of continuous learning." In other words, attaining a formal education is necessary in order to be successful both now and in the future. This represents a fundamental shift in values and beliefs (aka Morality). Access to educational material, by means of the Internet and other communications technology, will continue to accelerate the social impacts of globalization.

More profound is that communities,